Cold Spring hires Boucher as chief

The almost year-long process of finding a police chief to succeed Phil Jones at the helm of Cold Spring-Richmond Police Department came to a close Tuesday night when the council voted 4-1 to hire interim chief Chris Boucher.

Boucher has served in that capacity since last summer. Jones announced his intention to retire in late June and ended his service to the department in mid-July.

Boucher, a 20-year veteran of the department, was a sergeant who served as the force's canine unit officer.

Mayor Doug Schmitz said the decision came in a quick, one-hour meeting. Jan Dingmann cast the opposing vote.

City Administrator Paul Hetland was directed to meet with Boucher on Wednesday to negotiate contract final contract terms, Schmitz said, but "as of last night, he's our chief."

The salary range for the position is $65,000 to $80,000 per year, the mayor said.

The path to Boucher's hiring as the permanent police chief was rocky. The City Council appeared to have settled on Minneota Police Chief Eric Johnson after narrowing the field to six candidates, then three, then one. On Jan. 29, the City Council voted 4-0 to accept the recommendation of Johnson by a hiring committee.

But after closed City Council sessions on Feb. 11 and Feb. 26, Johnson's hiring was in limbo because of what city leaders called questions about his application and qualifications.

When the chief search fell into disarray, the relationships with Richmond and Wakefield Township, which have contracts for police services with the Cold Spring-Richmond department, also became strained.

Legal problems for the city also ensued. Johnson has hired an attorney and on Monday, the state's Information Policy Analysis Division issued an opinion at the request of the St. Cloud Times that said the two February meetings of the City Council were closed illegally.